News

While underwater photographers may not have noticed, Sony and Samsung have crept up on Canon and Nikon in the entry level, low priced DSLR field.  This now highly competitive market, seems to have led to Canon updating their 2 year old XS, which was a stripped down version of the XSi. The T2i didn't get a T2 little brother, but with the T3i not being a major upgrade, perhaps Canon felt it was necessary to release a cheaper version as well.

The T3, spec wise, is nothing that exciting. It has a 12mp CMOS sensor with a 9-point AF system and 63 area metering system. Additionally, it has 720p movie capabilities, which is standard in low level SLRs now, but was unheard when the XS was released.  The real kicker for the T3 is that it's only 599.99 with the kit lens. Not bad for an SLR that shoots HD video.

Full Press release below and full specs in the Equipment Section

Press Release

Canon is happy to introduce a chic camera for beginners to ease into the exciting world of DSLR photography and videography; the new EOS Rebel T3 Digital SLR camera. The Rebel T3 is designed to be the camera that can be expertly handled by anyone and allows great-looking photos to be taken with ease and style. The Rebel T3 is excellent in low-light shooting situations and simple to handle and operate.

Putting big imaging power in a small body, the new EOS Rebel T3 DSLR features a 12.2-megapixel Canon CMOS image sensor, a proprietary DIGIC 4 Imaging Processor, a 9-point Autofocus system and a 63-zone dual-layer metering system. With individual pixels measuring roughly 10x larger than a pixel from a point-and-shoot camera sensor, the Rebel T3 is able to absorb more light with less noise, making it ideal for capturing high-quality images in dimly lit situations. The increased efficiencies in gathering light also make the camera better suited to freeze fast-moving objects such as capturing images of children at play at speeds up to 3-frames per second. Compatible with SD, SDHC or new extended capacity SDXC memory cards, the Rebel T3 also shoots 1280x720 HD movies for amazing image quality for both stills and video. The Canon Rebel T3 features an ISO range from 100-6400 for capturing beautiful images in various light settings while also including a built-in pop-up flash. Designed for easy operation through the camera's mode dial, users can go from taking great still images to great video quickly and easily, with simple to understand icons and buttons.

The Canon EOS Rebel T3 Digital SLR camera is scheduled to be delivered to U.S. dealers at the end of March, and will be offered in a kit with Canon's new EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II zoom lens at an estimated retail price of $599.99.